Okay, so, SURPRISE. I got lip fillers! Well, if you’ve seen me in the past few weeks that may not be much of a surprise to you. I made this impulsive decision just before Christmas. I moved my appointment to get a lip augmentation with Juvederm from a week ahead to the literal day after I decided I wanted my lips done right then.
Here’s the thing- when I decide I want to do something I want to do it now. Patience is not my strong suit when my mind is made.
I decided I wanted to blog this experience because I don’t know many people who have gotten a lip augmentation and was really curious about the process and what all to expect. So whether you’re curious too because you want to have your lips done also, or you think it’s weird and gross and just wanna know how things go, I’m here to tell you my experience.
My appointment was with Mara at the Med Physique in Austin. I ended up getting 3/4 syringe of Juvederm Ultra Plus injected, with 1/4 syringe saved for touch-ups later. I wanted to go for a full, natural look without looking like I stepped out of Real Housewives.
Full disclosure: I work for Allergan, the pharmaceutical company that makes Juvederm, which is why I chose this specific filler. Juvederm has a whole family of fillers used for different things. I honestly can’t tell you much about the different types, but Med Physique recommended Ultra Plus for volume so that’s what I went with.
Now you’re probably wondering what on earth is in these fillers and why I would agree to inject them into my lips. Juvederm is a hyaluronic acid gel. Hyaluronic acid is naturally occurring in your body, and you likely see it as an ingredient in some of your skincare products. Because of this, fillers like Juvederm aren’t permanent, and for lip augmentations can last up to 6 months depending on how your body metabolizes the hyaluronic acid. If you’re wanting to keep your lips nice and full, plan on getting injections around twice a year with a couple of touch-ups in between too.
And now you’re thinking… Does it hurt? Short answer: kinda. It doesn’t feel like rainbows and clouds and lollipops and everything sweet and nice that’s for sure. Mara numbed my lips with lidocaine prior to the injections and I could barely feel any part of my mouth for the actual injecting part. Of course, you can tell that something is being injected and you can feel pressure, but the injections themselves don’t hurt too much. The whole process from start to finish was really quick, only about 30 minutes.
Afterward… that’s a different story. It took around another 30 minutes for me to be able to feel my lips again to the touch, and even then there is lidocaine in the filler itself, so your lips will still feel a bit numb.
Let me be honest- this is when it starts to get painful. Not anything too bad, but definitely sore and uncomfortable. It’s like this for a few days, and your lips are very very swollen.
At around day 3 my lips weren’t as swollen anymore and just slightly sore. At 1 week later, they were only sore in two small places and just barely swollen there at all. I iced my lips the whole evening and next day after I got them done, and I think it made a huge difference. In all, it took about 2 weeks for the swelling to go down completely.
Overall, I’m extremely happy with how they turned out. They still look natural, where people who don’t know that I’ve had them done won’t think, “oh my god her lips are so fake.” Most people don’t even know I’ve had it done unless I tell them.
Would I do it again? I would consider it. I like the look right now, but I am glad that they’re not permanent so I can choose to not have them done again if I want to.
If you’re in Austin, I recommend going to Med Physique where I got mine done. If not, I would do some research on different dermatologists or medspas in your area and look at their before and after pictures to make sure their clients have a look you’re going for. A consultation is typically done to recommend how much to have injected and all of those details, so don’t stress too much about having it figured out ahead of time.
The whole process was incredibly easy and I’m glad that I ended up doing it. I was on the fence for a while and was worried about what people would think, but the bottom line is I’m happy with it and that’s what matters. If you want to get yours done too- I say go for it!
There’s a lot of stigmas that come with cosmetic procedures like this and I wanted to be upfront and real about it to try to break some of that down. I try my best to be an open book when it comes to blogging and kind of life in general. I never want to be that girl who acts like she can’t remember where she got her shoes from or won’t share her secrets. If there’s anything more you want to know about the process, feel free to ask!
I linked some hyaluronic acid products below, and I now take a hyaluronic acid supplement each day to help ensure the filler lasts as long as possible. Would you ever get lip injections, or what are your thoughts on it? I wanna know! xx
